Gaia Personals
The Gaian Personals was a short lived feature created in 2003, designed to help people (Gaians) meet new people. It was shut down indefinitely in November 2004 when it became clear that the moderators couldn't control the flood of cybering and lewd activity.Gaia Thread (Dec/29/2004): Are they ever going to bring Gaian Personals back? (post by former moderator)Gaia Thread (Feb/26/2004): Radio Gaia: the vibin' spot in the sky! (interview with former moderator) It functioned similar to ad postings one would read in newspapers that feature personal ads or other announcements, Gaians that posted requests would receive a Private Message to establish contact. The Personals had its own place located in Barton Town, the "L.O.V.E. Building" or "Love Hotel" (as Oldbies have taken to calling it), that still stands today without any real function. It is however, featured in Gaia's MMO zOMG!, the building seems to be occupied by an NPC named Candice, who loves pink.Gaia Thread (Dec/20/2009): love building in bartonWikia (zOMG!): NPC Candice To newbie Gaians the building is an unfitting oddity amongst Barton's other structures. Defunct feature The feature and any trace of its history (detailed images) is long gone, and there is no intention to revive it. Promotional text Welcome to the GAIA Personals! Made especially for users who are seeking a relationship, this forum is a place for you to post your own personal ad. This isn't to say you are restricted to a love seeking ad only. If you are looking for a person to hang out with, casually date, or simply just chat with, this is the place for you. When posting your personal ad, your identity will be kept private. Your identity will remain completely anonymous. You may reveal as much or as little about yourself as you are comfortable with. Anyone responding to your ad may only do so through private messages, which will forward to your inbox. It is up to you whether or not you respond to that person. As always, use good judgement, be safe and have fun! Community reaction There seemed to be little protest in wanting the feature to return, as many found its removal necessary, understanding the activities that would now be considered going against the TOS (which barely existed at the time) was too much to report, and how difficult it was for moderators to keep the area clear of violators and their threads.Gaia Thread (Nov/23/2004): Gaia Personals Gaia Thread (Dec/29/2004): Are they ever going to bring Gaian Personals back? Some observed that despite the features removal, it appears that the forums, Chatterbox and General Discussion became the alternative. Both forums are known for being heavily moderated and criticized for the amount of TOS breaking content. Others insisted that despite the abuse the feature received there were indeed postings that were legitimate, and even stating that some were created for humorous purposes. And that having the feature made it easier to find new people with the same interests, to become potential friends, and good for small talk.Gaia Thread (Nov/06/2004): I want the personals back.Gaia Thread (Jan/15/2006): the personals wasnt all that bad. To counter this others found that the feature was unneeded and the wrong direction for Gaia to take, as online dating and privacy was a concern. The terms of service would later be updated to reflect that and many other concerns. Years later the forum Welcome to Gaia and its subforum, Friends Chat, would replace the Personals notable purpose. Over the years many rumors and ideas spread that Personals would be brought back in a different form or revamped entirely with the addition of a filter system, this has yet to be proven. Though there have been ideas by Gaians, such as: turning it into a wedding chapel, candy shop, a goods and services listing.Gaia Thread (Sep/05/2009): Old Personals - New Use? Trivia *In early 2004 it seems the feature was taken down supposedly for maintenance, though this was likely when the decision on what to do about the feature began. *There have been attempts by Gaians to create threads and guilds that functioned similar to the feature, but they have all but died out due to lack of upkeep and interests. *The Cupid character has been seen during Valentine events and also as a companion for the "My Friend Cupid" cash shop item and the Evolving Item, Diapered Egg. References External link *http://web.archive.org/web/20040406012530/http://sasha.go-gaia.com/personals/index.php Category:Defunct Feature